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L. KLEEMANN.

FURNAGE FOR WORKING ZINC ORE.

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FURNACE FOR WORKING ZINC ORE. No. 399,995. Patented Mar. 19, 1889.

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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet s.

L. KLEEMANN.

FURNAGE FOR WORKING ZINC ORE. No. 399,995. Patented Mar; 19, 1889.

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UNITED STATES FATENT @rrrcn.

LUDW'IG KLEEMANN, OF MYSLOWITZ, PRUSSIA, GERMANY.

FURNACE Foa WORKING ZINC ORES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 399,995, dated March 19, 1889.

Application filed December 26, 1885- Serial No. 186,798. (No model.) Patented in Germany April 1, 1879, No. '7 ,411, 8eptember 22, 1880, No, 14,497. and Apn'l 14, 1885, No. 38,038: in Belgium November 4, 1885, No. 70,726; in England November 3, 1885, No. 18,260, and in France November 4, 1885,1To. 172,055. v

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LUDWIG KLEEMANN, a subject of the King of Prussia, residing at Myslowitz, in the Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire, have invented new and useful Improvements in Furnaces for Working Zinc Ores, (for which I have obtained Letters Patent in Germany No. 7,411, dated April 1,187 9, and No. 14,497, dated September 22, 1880; France, No. 172,055, dated November 4, 1885; Belgium, No. 70,726, dated November 4,1885; England No. 13,260, dated November 3, 1885, and in Germany, No. 38,038, dated April 14, 1885,) of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved construction of furnaces for smelting zinc ores or other materials containing zinc, which I will proceed to describe with reference to the ac companying drawings.

The furnace consists of a number of reduction-chambers, a, arranged side by side and separated by partition-walls, and hav ng at top closed charging-hoppers g, while their lower restricted ends, a communicate with air or heating chambers 71, provided with doors in the vaults below the floor. At the front sides of the chambers a are arranged extensions, of suitable height and width, containing the condensing apparatus, communicating with a by means of correspondinglyarranged superposed openings (Z. At the back of the rednotion-chambers a are situated the combustion-chambers b, communieating with the former by passages 0, through which, consequently, the flames pass, thus representing a vertical heating-surface communicating from top to bottom with the column of material contained in the reducing-chambers. The combustion-chambers are fed with gaseous fuel passing in from the gas-producers through fines K and K, the gas being brought in contact at n with forced currents of air entering through m Portions of the combustion-gases not required to enter a at c are conducted off through openings r' and fines r 0'', formed in the furnace-walls, so as to heat these in the manner of retorts.

The mode of operating with this construction of furnace is as follows: The column of ore or other material in a becomes heated to red heat by the flames entering through the passage 0, and consequently the reducing process or distillation of the zinc therefrom in the first instance takes place from top to bottom in the vertical layer immediately adjoining those passages, after which it proceeds horizontally across the mass to the front side thereof, where in the like manner it terminates simultaneously along the entire vertical surface. Vhile this is proceeding in. a the air forced in through g into b not only prevents the zinc-vapors from depositing in the part a of the chamber, but also effects a supplemental reduction of the residuum material situated below the flame-passages c. In consequence of the arrangement of the parts a Z) 0 (Z the mode of working is rather that of a chamberfurnace than that of a shaft or blast furnace, yet by the combination therewith of the blastchamber h and the resulting supplemental reducing process resembling in its action that of the shaft or blast furnace the total system may be looked upon as a combination of the chamber-furnace and shaft-furnace systems.

In the arrangement of zincsmelting furnace shown,respectively, in cross-section, seetional front and back views, and sectional plan at Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, the extension Z at the front side of a contains the retorts or re cipients c, entering at the inner end the openings (l of the reducing-chamber, and at the outer end fitting into the tubular recipient f, which has external apertures closed by doors 7 corresponding to each of the retorts, While at bottom it is provided with the arrange ments for collecting and discharging the zinc. From the top of f two branch passages, 20 a, lead. on either sides into metal tubes f, in which the zinc-vapors passing over from f are condensed and deposited as Zinc-dust. The lower ends of these tubes communicate by side passages, o, with the chamber Z, so that the uncondensed gases issuing from them into the latter in entering into combustion and in rising to the chimney-flue at top of Z impart their heat to the outer surfaces of the retorts and also to the wall of the reducingchamber.

The arrangement of the condensing apparatus shown,respectively, in sectional elevation, sectional plan, and front view at Figs. 5,

6, and 7, has solely for its purpose the obtaining of zinc-powder. The extension Z to the reducing-chamber is in this case dispensed with, and in order to facilitate cooling and condensation the parts 6' and f are made of sheetiron. They might, however, be of brick-work f as in fof the preceding arrangement, which is provided with openings closed by doors y. Z are the escape-fines for the gases. Figs. 8 and 9 show different forms of extended conden sation-flues for deposit of zinc-dust. WVit-h a may-also be combined the known arrangements for obtaining zinc oxide 00. Fig. 1 is a fire-grate arranged underneath f for the purpose of assisting the action of the combustion of the carbonic-oxide gases entering Z through 0. L and w are doors for gaining access to the lines and passages c, z', and r. s are openings for the removal of ashes conveyed through them from the fines r and r. t is a passage communicating with the chimney-fiue into which lead openings t for ventilating the vault to the furnace. The determination whet-her only one gas-producer or two thereof is or are required for working the furnace depends upon the number and size of the reducing-chambers 0/, upon which, also, depends the size of the combustion-chamber bthat is, whether this should be made to extend over the back of only one or of two or more reducing-chambers. The number of retorts e to be employed will depend upon the height of the reducing-chamber a, and upon its width will depend whether only a single row or two or more rows of openings (Z side by side leading to the condensing apparatus are provided. If the charging from the top through g is to be avoided as much as possible, the charging may be effected up to the level of the top retort through the retorts themselves. It will be evident that the success of this mode of operating will in great measure depend upon the employmentof the combustion chambers, because by this arrangement not only will the production of slag be prevented, but also the presence of too large a quantity of air and carbonic acid at d and the carrying over of injurious quantities of dust, into the condensing apparatus will be obviated.

For regulating the nature of the flame and the pressure of the gas, regulating-valves are provided on the air-supply pipes and on the gas-producers, and plates are provided at m and over 1" for controlling the escape of the excess of gases.

Fine-grained ores-such as roasted zincblende, &c.may be utilized by mixing the same with coarser ores, or coarser reductionresidues, in order to bring them into suitable condition to be Worked. Under suitable condition the forced air-supply may be replaced by the action of chimney-fines or exhaust-fans. The reducing-chambers being entirely independent of each other, it will be evident that when required only a single one or a pair of them may be used.

In the construction of furnaces shown, by way of example, on the accompanying drawings the height chosen for the reducingchamber a is such as would permit of their erection in old-zinc-smelting works of limited capacity. It will be evident that any increase of the height of a, and consequently also of the combustion-chambers and condensing apparatus, would also result in a correponding increase of producing capacity without necessitating any increase of the horizontal dimensions.

Having now fully described the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim 1. In a furnace for reducing zinc ores and compounds, the combination of the vertical reduction-chamber a, the combustion-chamber 19, located at the back of the reductionchamber and communicating therewith through a vertical row of openings, 0, the chamber Z, located in front of said reduction-chamber, the vertical row of retorts 6, supported in the chamber Z and communieating with the reduction-chamber at their inner ends by means of a vertical row of openings, d, and at their other ends with a tube, f, common to all, said tube f communicating at its top with condensing-tubes f, which in turn communicate with the bottom of the chamber Z, substantially as described.

2. In a furnace for reducing zinc ores and compounds, the combination, with a vertical reduction-chamber, a, a combustion-chamber located in the rear thereof and communicating therewith through a vertical row of openings, 0, and communicating at its bottom with air and gaseous-fuel inlets, a chamber, Z, located in front of the reduction-chamb'er and having a vertical row of retort-s supported therein and comm unicatinggwith a vertical row of openings in the reduc ion-charm ber, and an air-heating chamber located below and communicating with and closing the lower end of the reduction-chamber, said airheating chamber being provided with an inlet for introducing air or gas to drive off the residual zinc -vapor, substantially as dc scribed.

3. In a furnace for reducing zinc ores and compounds, the combination, with a reduction-chamber, of a combustionchamber, Z), communicating therewith by a vertical row of openings, 0, and provided with heatingflues 'r, and passages '21, locatcdin the walls of the reduction-chamber to utilize the surplus gases from the combustion-chamber for heating the rednotion-chamber, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have si gned my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LUDXVIG KLEEMANN.

Vitnesses:

O. WVIOHMANN, B. ROI. 

